On April 22 people around the world will be celebrating Earth Day, an annual event that has been growing in popularity since it was first launched by U.S. environmentalists in 1970. Usually this day provides opportunities to engage in activities designed with an element of education, especially the ways in which we can be more caring and considerate towards our planet. But the day’s name also reminds us that – even as we are social creatures living in the age of technology – it is important to take the time to honour our basic earthling nature and core.

To do this, every now and then we need to tune out the noise and reconnect to a simpler life. Luckily, it doesn’t take much to step away from the pressures and complications of modern society! Often, it can be as simple as barring all the usual distractions for a few quiet moments.

Here at Alusi we welcome Earth Day as an opportunity to take some quiet moments in reflection. We salute the earth and light a candle in celebration of our planet, both as a necessity for our survival and in symbolic recognition of belonging to a larger human family.

Here at Alusi we are partial to candles. As the company behind an innovative candle line such as this one, we are keen to follow the trajectory of this age-old tradition. In our blog we may probe other subjects, such as the growing-in-popularity beer and yoga pairing, but we are just as eager as ever to know what’s happening in the world of candles.

The year’s end is near and, as per the season’s tradition, many people are travelling to reunite with their family members and loved ones. For many others, though, holidays are simply a good time to go away and see what else is out there. Eating out is one of those indulgences that people look forward to when they travel. And many, ma-a-any restaurants and pubs, and bars, and lounges, and what have you, make candles a part of their interior design.

In many places you’ll see humble yet charming tealights or plain candlesticks in discreet candle holders that aren’t trying to make a statement. And really, when a dining room is so beautiful that it’s near-overwhelming (here’s looking at you, Berners Tavern of London), or when the décor itself is all the character that’s needed (Giger Museum Bar in Gruyères fits the profile), modest candles with their little pools of light are plenty.

But then, there are dining establishments where candles are accorded a more prominent role in tuning the ambiance to a desired pitch, which is after all one of the main ingredients for creating a lasting impression with patrons.

One such place is in Stockholm. If the capital of Sweden happens to be your next travel destination, presumably you mean to visit Gamla Stan, the Old Town. That is where you’ll find Sjatte Tunnan, a restaurant where a medieval theme reigns supreme. Hidden underground, the only light that visitors get to enjoy in this place comes from candles (the blue light of a POS unit does not count!). Just as you descend the stairs leading into the cavernous space, you will behold the sight of a great wax mound formed by many years of candles burning and dripping with abandon. Perfectly simple as an idea, and none too medieval in and of itself, this grandiose mess made of candle drippings helps the rest of the interior to set you off on a journey to a different time.

And speaking of cavernous, there is a restaurant for which the word is not just a poetic epithet but a fair and literal descriptive term. Located in Playa del Carmen, a small town in the Riviera Maya, Alux Restaurant and Bar is tucked inside a stunning natural cave. But to have a cave’s magnificent rock formations as the defining element of its interior design, to the exclusion of candles, wouldn’t fully enhance the dining experience. The restaurant’s proprietors must have thought the same, which is why guests can enjoy their drink amidst the stalactites and stalagmites of a vault illuminated by candle light.

Yet another restaurant where candles are a glorious presence is Marseille’s La Tasca. Multiple taper candles burn all around the place, in singles at each table and in large groupings throughout the restaurant. Dripping wax is allowed to collect and shape into impressive and grotesque elements of the décor. You could expect a rather gothic scene as a result, but in reality the restaurant is known as a boisterous and festive place.

Candles may no longer be simply a practical item, but there is no sign of them going out – not just yet. Perhaps it’s because of our primordial affinity for open fire that we still make sure candles are a part of many of our rituals and activities.